Ever since I found out I was heading to Beijing to cover the Summer Olympics, I've been receiving tons of advice, from how to avoid jet lag, to what to eat, to where to go, to how to protect myself and my belongings.

Some of the advice has conflicted with others.

(With apologies to the Five Man Electrical Band, "Do this, Don't do that, Can't you read the Signs?'')

So what to do?

Well, basically, be careful, be cognizant of your surroundings, don't drink tap water and don't eat any fresh fruit or vegetables.

Who to listen to? Who to ignore?

Well, one thing that was really hammered into me early is to not eat anything from the street vendors. But lately, I've been told their food might be some of the best I experience.

Adam Craig, the Olympic mountain biker from Exeter, was in Beijing last year and said his best meals came from street vendors. He's offered to take me around and I think I'll take him up on that.

"Their cooked meat was incredible,'' he said.

Okay, but how to deal with jet lag. Beijing is 12 hours ahead of Portland time and it's a 13-hour, 40-minute flight there from Newark.

People say don't sleep on the plane, others say sleep. People say hit the ground running.

A friend of my wife said I should turn to noted travel expert John Tesh for advice.

John Tesh?

Yep.

Go to his web site and you'll find he has all sorts of travel tips. A regular Renaissance Man.

Of course, I'm not so sure I follow his logic for beating jet lag. According to a Harvard professor, if you put your body in starvation mode, that is, not eating for 16 hours before the flight and then through the flight, your body clock resets and keeps you alert. He suggests eating when you land. No kidding.

Well, if the choice comes to being a little tired and being a lot hungry, I think I'll take the airline food.

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